Gerhard Rohde

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PMS trade unionsVisions for the future

• Gerhard Rohde
• UNI-Europa PMS
• 14/15 September 2005, Luxembourg

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Today, our unions are irrelevant.
Tomorrow, they could all be extinct
Rory Murphy, UNIFY, UK
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Rory Murphy (September 99)
My generation of trade unionism has failed.
When I started as a full-time official in 1979,
the TUC had 13 million member today we are down
to about half of that.
It is simply the fact that trade unions must look
for - and find- new ways of delivering our
service to members, new ways of relating to the
companies we deal with, and a new role in society.
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Connect/UK Organising IT professionals

• Changing profile of workforce
• Breakdown of traditional workplace
• Anti-union companies
• Individualisation and reduced role for
  traditional collective bargaining

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ILO Conventions
18 Member States did not ratify any of them i.e.
China, El Salvador, India, USA, Vietnam,.....
Almost 50 of workers world wide not covered by
ILO Conventions 87, 98
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Trends in trade unionism
Having the right to organise is necessary but
not sufficient
Decline of trade unionism also in countries,
which have ratified the ILO Conventions 87, 98
Around 25 of 1.3 billion workers belong to trade
unions
Out of 92 countries surveyed by ILO 14 had more
than 50 48 had less than 20 72 saw membership
decline
ILO found increase in 20 countries Saudi Arabia
126, Spain 92, Chile 89
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Sector Shares
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Trade union density
Sourceeironline, May2004
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Trade union density in Europe
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Trade union density in Europe
48 retired
not known exactly
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Trade union density in Europe
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Trade union density in Europe
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Why do people join trade unions

• representation at workplace (grievance handling)
• avoid personal problems in the work environment
  (NL)
• support if I have a problem at work (UK)
• to ensure that my interests are represented
  (Dk)
• to become a member of the unemployment scheme

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Who recruits?

• Trade union reps at the workplace
• gt 30 directly recruited by shop stewards
• only 3.5 by full time officers (UK)
• some union use professional organisers

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Trends hampering organising
From manufacturing towards services new areas,
no links with unions more professionals work
culture less collective
Smaller companies, less workplace presense of
trade unionists, no organising attempts,
Fewer people believe in need for workplace
representation
Increasing individualism result of successful
trade union policies in the past
Trust, image problems of institutions, including
unions
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New trade union mantra

• From collective bargaining agent for large group
  with common interests
• To a flexible resource to support members
  careers throughout their working lives

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The Servicing Approach

• Provide support/assistance for individual
  members.
• This approach includes
• Proactive provision of information on salaries
  and conditions of employment.
• Draft model employment contracts
• Advice on remuneration packing/flexible
  remuneration arrangements.
• Legal support for members
• Career advice and counselling
• Using the Website to empower members

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Combining Organising with Servicing

• Two unions in One
• Collective Bargaining Union
• Individual Employment Contract Union
• Can combine elements of each union

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Challenges ahead

• Today downward pressure on collective bargaining
• Offshoring, outsourcing
• Concession bargaining
• Key service depreciating
• Important to be able to re-invent ourselves
• UNI organising manual on CD-ROM
• Our focus on organising PMS